smith



(No Model.)

I. S. SMITH.

BILL FILE.

NO. 277,170.v Patented May 8,1883.

m .Z///// -/a INVEINTOR N. PETERS. Photo-Lithugrapher. washingimxjl'c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ISRAEL S. SMITH,,OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNQB OF ONE-HALF TO EDWIN B. HAY, OF SAME PLACE.

BILL-FILE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 277,170, dated May 8,1883.

/ To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ISRAEL S. SMITH, of Washington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Paper-Files; and I do hereby de clare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, making a part of this specification.

This invention relates to means for holding papers for the purpose of filing them away to afford ready access to any paper; and the nature of my invention consists in the combination, with a base-board, of looped standards, cross-heads applied thereto, and slotted holding-down plates, aswill be fully understood from the following description, when taken in connection with the annexed drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view-of my improved file-holder. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of a part thereof,a-nd Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section taken through the fileholder in the plane indicated by dotted line .1 a: on Fig. 1.

In the drawings which I have annexed to this description I have shown two devices for holding papers down securely upon the board A. Both devices are exactly alike, although they are arranged in different lines. I prefer to use two; but one contrivance will in some instances answer the required purpose-to wit, securely holding down upon the board or back A letters, papers, or other matter which it may be desired to file and keep for ready reference.

B designates a standard, which is preferably made of wire of the open or looped form,

and which has its lower part suitably secured to the board A. This standard presents two parallel bars perpendicular to said board, which are designed to form side stays, and also guides for the holding-down devices that will now be explained.

G designates a cross-head, which is perforated to receive through it the wires or bars constituting the standard B. This cross-head is slotted longitudinally, and the outer narrow lip, a, is upset so that it is in a plane ob- Application filed December 13, 1882. (No model.)

| tuse to the plane of the'body of the cross head. At the middle of the length of this cross-head, and rigidly secured to the said lip a, is a button, b. This button serves as a means for attaching a holding-down plate to the cross=head G, and it also serves, in combination with the latter, as a guide for the holding-down plate, which I now letter D. The plate Dis slotted lengthwise, and it receives through its slot 0 the neck of the button b. This plate is passed transversely through the cross-head over the lip-a and beneath the main portion of the cross-head. Plate D has free end'wise movement, and it is designed for holding down the papers upon the board A. The holes (7 at through the ends of the crosshead 0 are circular, and they are somewhat larger than the diameter of thetwo parallel bars which constitute the standard 13. The cross-head U is thus allowed to set obliquely to the standard-bars, so that when the holding-down plate D is pressed upon the mass of paper in the file-holder the reaction of the mass will cause the holding-down plates to act as strong levers, the efi'ect of which will be that the angles of the holes through the crosshead will bite on the bars of the standard and firmly hold. The cross-head is adjustable, and can be set at any desired point, according to the bulk of the papers which are filed on the board A.

It is obvious from what I have above explained that the holding-down plate is movable toward and from the board A, and that this holding-down plate is movable at right lowing the papers to be readily taken from the file.

I claim 1. A file-holder composed of a baseboard, a vertical standard consisting of two parallel bars, a cross-head adapted to slide upon said bars and provided with a longitudinal slot and lip, and ,a slotted holding-down plate passing through said cross-head and under a button secured to the lip thereof, adapted to operate to hold the papers, substantially as specified.

2. The combination, in a file-holder, of the base-board A and thestandards B, secured thereto, the cross-heads 0, provided with lips angles to the standard for the purpose of alrco a, and upset, as described, the slotted holding- In testimony whereof Iaffix my signatnre,in down plate D, and the button 1), extending presence oftwo witnesses, this20tl1 day of Septhrough the slot and secured to the lip a, the tember, 1882.

plate and cross-head being adapted to set in I. S. SMITH. 5 an oblique position when pressed upon the pa- Witnesses:

pers, substantially as and for the purposes J. JLMGGARTHY, specified. WILLIA AL XAN ER. 

